The Louisville Cardinals' 2025 football season will kick off on Aug. 30 against Eastern Kentucky at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. The Cardinals have the third-best odds to win the ACC and are gaining some momentum after the spring offseason, as they were just ranked as high as No. 16 in USA Today's way-too-early rankings.
Louisville football's explosive offense is a key reason why the Cardinals are projected to be an ACC contender. Jeff Brohm brought in one of the best quarterbacks from the transfer portal, Miller Moss. The Cards will have elite weapons on the outside in Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy.
However, the Cardinals' best returning player is their preseason All-American running back, Isaac Brown. The explosive back recently received more praise, this time from On3 Sports, after they released their top 100 players in college football for the 2025 season. No surprise, the Cardinals' star running back was towards the front half as he cracked On3 Sports' top 50.
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The Louisville Cardinals' star running back earned the ACC Rookie of the Year, the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, Second-Team All-ACC, and was named on multiple Freshman All-American teams.
Brown was ranked No. 44 in On3 Sports' top 100 players for the 2025 season. The Cardinal is expected to be a crucial piece for Louisville's offense after he rushed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He led the ACC in yards per carry with an astounding 7.1 yards per carry.
Brown had a historic season. He broke Lamar Jackson's true freshman rushing yards record and became the first Cardinal to rush for 1,000 yards or more in his true freshman season. Brohm will need his 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back to have a similar season in 2025 if the Cardinals want to compete for the ACC crown.
The Clemson Tigers are the favorite to win the ACC and have the most players on this prestigious list. The Tigers saw five players on this list, including one of the Heisman favorites and Dabo Swinney's quarterback, Cade Klubnik.
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For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.